


at ease

by lamperouge



Category: Haikyuu!!, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Naruto, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurities, M/M, Oikawa-centric, iwaizumi is ready to knOCK sense into him, oikawa is worried about the chunin exams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28405236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamperouge/pseuds/lamperouge
Summary: He’s often underestimated, and while that shouldn’t exactly matter to him, he knows that he wants the recognition just as much as anyone else. Kekkei Genkai be damned; he just wants everyone to know just how formidable he is.[ or, Oikawa is worried about the chunin exams and Iwaizumi knows his capabilities better than himself ]
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Kudos: 8





	at ease

**Author's Note:**

> all hail iwaoi for getting me out of this writing drought. anyways i'm about to push my oikawa and rock lee besties agenda and i think you all should join me in it. also, stan yamanaka ino... what a woman rlly. ok but seriously this is one of the fics that came to me easily and basically just wrote itself out while earning all my love in the process. i hope you all would come to like this fic the same way i did.

**BEING THE ONLY ONE IN HIS TEAM WITHOUT A** **_KEKKEI GENKAI_ ** **IS A HEAVY BURDEN TO BEAR.** Sometimes he’d be pushed back into the backlines during missions that are certainly out of their league, sometimes he’d feel the enemy’s scrutiny from meters away while he stands in the formation with Iwaizumi and Kageyama on either of his sides. 

He’s often underestimated, and while that shouldn’t exactly matter to him, he knows that he wants the recognition just as much as anyone else. _Kekkei Genkai_ be damned; he just wants _everyone_ to know just how formidable he is. 

Yet with the _chunin_ exams coming up (his first take too at that — as well as Iwaizumi’s and Kageyama’s), he couldn’t help but to think about his opponents and whether they would have a _Kekkei Genkai_ of their own. 

Three years of training with Kageyama and Iwaizumi has prepared Oikawa for situations like these. Facing formidable opponents with a _jutsu_ that’s completely unique to themselves and the rest of their family only. 

Sure he’d had enough practice with Iwaizumi’s _dojutsu_ and Kageyama’s elemental release, but that doesn’t take away the fact that there are people who are far more _special_ than he will ever be. It doesn’t help that it took him endless days and nights of practicing several _jutsu_ s just to make sure that there’s _something_ he could have against people who are special. 

Oikawa huffs as he pushes a palm deep into the chest of a practice mannequin. The base of his palm hurts more than he’d like to admit, but it shouldn’t matter anyway. There are some things that hurt more than pushing his palms against a training tool for more than a hundred times. Such things include the lack of special talents that most people wanted to see in order to brand someone as a formidable _shinobi._

Insecurities shouldn’t even bother him at this rate. He’s fifteen and he’s about to become a _chunin_ very soon. One would think that Oikawa’s perception of himself and his abilities would be whole and unbreakable at this point. But that’s the thing with people, they tend to never look past the surface level. 

“I thought I might find you here,” Comes Iwaizumi’s voice from behind him. 

Oikawa’s shoulder relaxes, all forms of stress and tension disappearing but not entirely. The _chunin_ exams have taken a complete chokehold on his mind, almost draining him of the very little that’s left of his mental strength. 

There’s warmth pressing on his right shoulder and he _knows_ that it’s Iwaizumi trying to get him to stop overworking himself. It has become a routine at this point for Iwaizumi to get Oikawa from the training grounds just to stop his best friend from working himself to the point of extreme exhaustion. 

Oikawa doesn’t know why it always works, but it does anyway. Questioning it even more would only lead him to a path of self-discovery that he’s not sure he wants to take part in yet. He sighs as he shrugs off his best friend’s hand, scoffing as he takes a towel hanging from another practice dummy just a few meters away. 

“You could pass as my mother with the way you fuss over me every single night.” The words come out with no malice, just pure unadulterated teasing that had grown to become a norm between the two of them. It’s always Iwaizumi who’s the target of Oikawa’s teasing, sometimes he’d choose Kageyama if the younger of the trio is in a talking mood, but it’s always Iwaizumi by default. 

“Just trying to prevent you from killing yourself from exhaustion.” Iwaizumi shrugs, so very easily brushing off Oikawa’s remarks. 

“Of course. You were always cut out for caretaker material. Ever thought of becoming a medical- _nin_ , Iwa- _chan_ ?” Oikawa tries to rile him up again just for entertainment purposes, and maybe because he doesn’t really want to think about the _chunin_ exams. 

Deflect and deflect until the object of his worries come for him straight. That’s how he’d always worked. He’s aware that Iwaizumi knows this too, and perhaps it’s the reason why Iwaizumi came earlier tonight — as opposed to coming in at ten in the evening like he always would. 

“I’ll pass. I think I want to become a _jonin_ teacher one day, or maybe an Academy Instructor. You can try it if you want, though.” Oikawa’s words bear no offense or jabs to Iwaizumi. Oikawa supposes that his friend is just accustomed to it. After all, they’ve been at this for three years now ever since they became _genin._

Oikawa tries not to think too much about the possible reasons why his taunting doesn’t reach Iwaizumi the way it would with his other fellow _shinobi_ s. 

“Hmm I don’t think I want to stay in the back lines of a war though. That would be very unappealing.” He decides to give up on taunting at this point, but remains the difficult attitude that he’s only forcing out of necessity. 

No cracks under pressure. A _shinobi_ must never show his true emotions, no matter what. 

“You’d be dead meat if you said that within the vicinity of _Tsunade-sama_ and _Sakura-sama._ ” For a moment Iwaizumi places his hand on his chin and looks up, “Oh, and _Ino-sama_ too.” 

“They’re not here though.” 

“You wouldn’t know. I’ve heard Konoha has eyes and ears everytime.” Iwaizumi shrugs with a smug grin on his face. 

All Oikawa could do is to begrudgingly chug water from his water bottle, ready to make the walk home with Iwaizumi even though it’s two hours too early for that. 

Their footsteps fall in sync with one another, sounding almost like it’s one whole footstep instead of two separate ones forging their path independently. Oddly enough, their footsteps aren’t the only things that make a singular sound in Oikawa’s ears — but he doesn’t want to touch up on that. 

_Chunin exams,_ his mind repeats it as if it's a mantra. But mantras are supposed to keep one grounded to reality, to keep their heads rational and their fighting spirits aflame even in times of adversities. This mantra doesn’t do either of that. It only sends Oikawa into a fit of panic. 

Suddenly, the sound of a single footstep separates into two as one halts. Oikawa turns to look at Iwaizumi who is looking at him with the most perplexed expression that he’d ever seen.

“What?” The wave of self-consciousness swallows Oikawa up whole. He knows scrutiny when he sees it — just never on his best friend’s face. He feels his chest clench in fear. Did Iwaizumi just realize the lack of specialty and potential in his best friend? 

“You’re stressed out about the _chunin_ exams but you’re probably the most prepared out of everyone about to join.” 

Oikawa’s entire world stills. He’s used to bickering with Iwaizumi, the taunting remarks that barely do anything because they know about the capabilities of the other anyway. He’s used to Iwaizumi’s hand on his shoulder, a silent reminder of his care towards his best friend and teammate. Heck he’s even used to Iwaizumi’s almost-omnipresence in his life. 

But he’s never been faced with this side of Iwaizumi before. The reassuring one in such a straightforward manner that Oikawa almost pinches himself just to check if he’s still in reality and not under the effects of a _genjutsu_ from a formidable opponent. 

“I don’t think I understand what you mean.” 

“I mean that you’re going to be a _chunin_ anyway, so why do you worry? You’re the strongest one in the team, minus _sensei_ of course, but still... “ Iwaizumi trails off, but there’s certainty in his voice and assurance in his eyes. 

“We both know that’s not true, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa tries to brush off with a laugh, but it comes out shaky and insecure. 

A _shinobi_ must never show his true emotions, but why is it that Oikawa is cracking under immense pressure right now? 

“No. I _know_ for a fact that you’re a strong _shinobi_ and you’re way past the _chunin_ level. Even _sensei_ and Kageyama know this, Oikawa. It doesn’t matter if you have a _Kekkei Genkai_ or not. You’re strong enough on your own without the need for special bloodline abilities — that alone shows how special you are.” Iwaizumi’s stare is unnerving, like he’s trying to desperately peel off all of Oikawa’s layers in order to reveal the panicked and scared little kid that he is. 

“And what of the _genius_ kids of these special bloodlines? Imagine being faced with a Hyuga and an Uchiha… how the hell am I supposed to take them on with _nothing?_ ” Perhaps there is more force than Oikawa intends for his message to have, but he doesn’t retract. His breathing is shallow now, eyebrows furrowed as he stares daggers into Iwaizumi’s gaze. 

“If your belief in yourself is not enough to keep you going for tomorrow’s _chunin_ exams, then consider my belief in you as soon as you step into that arena.” Iwaizumi calmly states, “When you win the match tomorrow, just know that I believed in you before you ever did.” 

The warmth of Iwaizumi’s hand is on Oikawa’s shoulder again and it disappears as soon as it comes. Oikawa could only look at the moonlight illuminating Iwaizumi’s retreating figure in the street of Konoha. 

-

**TRUE TO IWAIZUMI’S WORD, OIKAWA BECOMES A** ** _CHUNIN._** Kekkei Genkai be damned, Oikawa is strong and formidable enough on his own without the help of bloodline limits. 

Oikawa feels his heart soaring when he emerges from the last match and Iwaizumi wraps him in an embrace the moment he steps back into the waiting deck, their heartbeats sounding like it’s just one instead of two. 


End file.
